Sports. In some way or other we all love sports, either watching it or playing it. India has shown a tremendous growth in the field of sports in past decade or so. Since past few years Indian athletes have performed exceptionally well at international level and have earned glory for India.
So, what do you think is the reason behind the exceptional performance of Indian players at an international level???
No doubt, leagues... Do you know how many leagues are there in India?? There are currently 9 major leagues in India.. Many other leagues were started in past decade or so but they were ceased after a year or two.
CRICKET:
Cricket, the most loved sport in India. Performance of Indian Cricket Team at a international level has improved a lot, and the credit of it mostly goes to IPL. First major league that was successfully organised and had foreign players too. Our young players learned a lot from them which helped them a lot in improving their game. Also the current playing XI , which is regarded as the dangerous in the world is also a gift of the IPL. Like globalization benefited Indian economy, in the same way IPL benefited Indian Cricket.
It was such a big achievement in the field of Indian sports that it set up the platform or trend for other sports to follow.
I would say that Kabaddi was really lucky to get that love from Indian audience. Though India was an unbeatable champion at it when it was launched, but Pro Kabaddi leagues helped the selectors to select the best talent, Pro Kabaddi gave Indian Team the best, active and fit players. Also it was because of this league that we got to know this game more closely, like rules of the game, players per side plus how exactly it is played. It is such a big hit now that the bidding this year crossed 1 crore which is surely a great achievement and a symbol that Kabaddi has a great future in India.
Above are some of the key findings of Pro Kabaddi League ranging from Pradeep Narwal (won back to back titles for his team Patna pirates in PKL) to Ajay Thakur, current Indian Captain to Rahul Chaudhary and many others. So, PKL has really helped in giving future stars to Indian Team.
HOCKEY:
Hockey, which was deemed to be the national sport of India, but in actual it isn't has suffered a lot. From being unable to qualify for 2008 Beijing Olympics to finishing 12th in 2012 London Olympics, Indian Hockey team has really progressed since the onset of Hockey India League in 2013. Indian Team is currently ranked 5th in the world. Though like other sports Hockey India League has failed to gather that love and affection from Indian audience. The prime reason for it could be the ineffective way in which it is promoted. It has failed to garden the interest of Indian audience and bring them to stadiums. That's why 2018 season of HIL is cancelled. It is said that it will return in 2019 with modifications, but it's a set back for the players who look onto this league to mark their presence to selectors.
FOOTBALL:
Started with the aim of strengthening Indian Football Team in 2014, Indian Super League has benefited Indian Football Team a lot as they have progressed exceptionally in FIFA rankings. From being ranked 171 in 2014 to 97 as on 7 June 2018, standard of Indian Football has risen as Indian Team qualified for 2019 AFC ASIA CUP, and is looking all set to qualify for 2026 WORLD CUP.
OTHER SPORTS:
Talking about other leagues in brief which are currently new and the actual benefit from them is yet to arrive. These are team sports which are played individually. They are:
- Premier Badminton League
- Ultimate Table Tennis League
- Pro Wrestling League
- Super Boxing League
A step is taken to give more experience to our domestic players for performance at a higher intensity level and train them for next level. Indian athletes are already benefiting from these new leagues as can be seen by performance of Indian Table Tennis Team at Commonwealth Games 2018, as both male and female team won the GOLD MEDAL which in itself is a remarkable achievement.
Though a lot is still to be done to improve the performance of Indian players at international sports arena, specially at Olympics. But the progress till now is still a remarkable achievement. Also, with the increasing interest of Indian audience in other sports and viewing of sport leagues as a profitable venture by entrepreneurs, the future of sports in India is really bright.
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